Method and apparatus for verifying service provisioning in networks used to provide digital subscriber line services
AssigneeAlcatel Lucent
InventorsCharles Michael Storry, Luc Absillis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus to permit testing of Layer 2 and higher services provisioned for a port on a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) line card. Each line card is provisioned with a virtual port, a virtual port cross-connect function, and a virtual port tunneling function. The virtual port can be linked to any physical port on the line card. A test host can link to the virtual port from anywhere in a network to perform verification of end-to-end service provisioning and functionality throughout a network.
Claims18
A line card for a digital subscriber line access multiplexer DSLAM) connected to a service provider network, the line card comprising:
- a plurality of physical ports, each physical port supporting a connection to a digital subscriber line (DSL) provisioned for subscriber services;
- and
- a virtual port that appears to an administrator workstation located in the service provider network as a test port on the line card, the virtual port being configured to permit a test host to link through the service provider network via a virtual port tunneling function to a physical port on the line card to permit Layer 2 and above testing of the subscriber services to the line card;
- a virtual port cross-connect function that forwards all traffic addressed to the physical port from an interworking feature processing block to the virtual port, and forwards all traffic from the virtual port to the interworking feature processing block;
- and
- a virtual port tunneling function that provides an exact customer traffic flow to the test host by encapsulating all traffic sent from the virtual port to the test host and de-encapsulates all traffic sent from the test host to the virtual port ensuring that the exact customer traffic flow is evaluated at the test host.
A digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) connected to a service provider network, the DSLAM comprising:
- a plurality of line cards, each of the line cards comprising a plurality of physical ports, each physical port supporting a connection to a digital subscriber line (DSL);
- a virtual port that appears to an administrator workstation located in the service provider network to he a test port on the line card, the virtual port being configured to permit a test host to link to subscriber services provisioned for a physical port to be tested on the line card, to permit Layer 2 and above testing of the subscriber services provisioned for the physical port;
- a virtual port cross-connect function that forwards all traffic addressed to the physical port from an interworking feature processing block to the virtual port, and forwards all traffic from the virtual port to the interworking feature processing block;
- and
- a virtual port tunneling function that encapsulates all traffic sent from the virtual port to the test host and de-encapsulates all traffic sent from the test host to the virtual port.
A method of verifying end-to-end service provisioning and functionality throughout a network used to provide digital subscriber line service to a service subscriber connected to a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) comprising:
- configuring a virtual port on the line card to link to the provisioned subscriber services;
- selecting a test host protocol stack to match a protocol stack of customer premises equipment used by the subscriber;
- logically connecting the virtual port to the test host through the network via a virtual port tunneling function;
- forwarding all traffic addressed to a physical port from an interworking feature processing block to the virtual port;
- forwarding all traffic from the virtual port to the interworking feature processing block;
- encapsulating all traffic sent from the virtual port to the test host;
- de-encapsulating all traffic sent from the test host to the virtual port;
- and
- operating the test host to verify the provisioned subscriber services.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.